Dynamic retrieval of installation packages when installing software

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for dynamic retrieval of installation packages when installing software is described herein. In one embodiment, a process can be provided to determine a specific installation package to be installed for software having one or more packages to be installed. A repository can be automatically identified from a plurality of repositories from which to obtain the specific installation package, based on priority criteria. The priority criteria can be based on dynamically changing parameters. The specific installation package can be obtained from the identified repository.

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser.No. 12/768,658, filed on Apr. 27, 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of invention relates generally to computing systems, and, morespecifically, to dynamic retrieval of installation packages wheninstalling software.

BACKGROUND

Software may be installed from a repository. There may be severalrepositories available from which the software can be installed. Thesoftware may be obtained faster from some repositories than others.

SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTION

Mechanisms for dynamical retrieval of installation packages wheninstalling software are described herein. In one embodiment, a processcan be provided to determine a specific installation package to beinstalled from one or more installation packages of software. Anidentification of a repository may be made from a plurality ofrepositories, based on priority criteria. The priority criteria may bebased on dynamically changing parameters. The specific installationpackage may be obtained from the identified repository. Systems,methods, and machine readable storage media which perform or implementone or more embodiments are also described.

Other features of the present invention will be apparent from theaccompanying drawings and from the detailed description which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitedin the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like referencesindicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system architecture including an opticaldisk drive and one or more computers and computer systems connected overa network in which embodiments of the present invention may operate;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system inwhich embodiments of the present invention may operate;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary memory in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary installer distribution document inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary priority criteria in accordance withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of dynamic retrieval ofinstallation packages when installing software in accordance withembodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of dynamic retrieval ofinstallation packages when installing software in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention,reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which like referencesindicate similar elements, and in which is shown by way of illustrationspecific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. Theseembodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical,electrical, functional, and other changes may be made without departingfrom the scope of the present invention. The following detaileddescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and thescope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

Software to be installed on a system can include multiple packages.These packages may exist in different repositories (e.g., local harddrive, local optical disk, through a local area network, remote servers,etc.). A computing system may determine a specific package needed inorder to install the software. If the specific package exists inmultiple repositories, the computing system may determine whichrepository to obtain the specific package from. The determination may bemade based on priority criteria. In one embodiment, the prioritycriteria can be based on dynamically changing parameters. In oneembodiment, the priority criteria indicate the fastest repository fromwhich to obtain the specific package.

In one embodiment, information about the dynamically changing parameterscan be received from other computing systems.

In one embodiment, if the specific package cannot be obtained from adetermined repository, an alternate repository can be determined fromwhich to obtain the specific package.

In one embodiment, a determination can be made if an updated version ofthe specific package exists. If an updated version of the specificpackage exists, the required version of the specific package may beupdated prior to identifying a repository from which to obtain thespecific package.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system architecture 100 in which dynamicalretrieval of installation packages may be performed. System architecture100 may include disk drive 110, computer system 120 and one or morecomputers 150. Computer system 120 may communicate with one or morecomputers 150 via network 140. Computers 150 may contain repositories(e.g., hard drives) from which installation packages may be retrieved.Disk drive 110 may contain an optical disk as a repository from which aninstallation package may be retrieved. Computer system 120 may containhard drive 130. Hard drive 130 may be a repository from which aninstallation package may be retrieved.

In one embodiment, network 140 may be a public network (e.g., Internet)or a private network (e.g., local area network (LAN)). In oneembodiment, computers 150 may include a broadcast server whichbroadcasts the availability of an installation package over network 140.Computer system 120 may determine whether the installation package needsto be installed and may then further determine whether to download theinstallation package from the broadcast server computer 150 over network140. In one embodiment, computers 150 may transmit information relatedto dynamically changing parameters to computer system 120 over network140.

In one embodiment of the present invention, disk drive 110 cancommunicate with computer system 120 in any number of protocols. Forexample, disk drive 110 can be an internal disk drive for computersystem 120, connected via an Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) orSerial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) interface. In an alternateembodiment of the present invention, disk drive 110 is connected tocomputer system 120 via a Universal Serial Bus (USB), a IEEE 1394interface such as FireWire™ available from Apple, Inc. of Cupertino,Calif., or a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI). In yet anotherembodiment of the present invention, disk drive 110 communicates withcomputer system 120 via one or more networks. The networks may include aLAN, WAN, intranet, extranet, wireless network, the Internet, etc.

In one embodiment, computer system 120 may be able to determineinformation about dynamically changing parameters related to disk drive110.

In one embodiment, hard drive 130 is a local hard drive located withincomputer system 120. In one embodiment, computer system 120 may be ableto determine information about dynamically changing parameters relatedto hard drive 130.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system in whichembodiments of the present invention may operate. Computer system 200includes processing unit(s) 210, main memory (RAM) 220, non-volatilestorage 230, bus 240, I/O controller 250, network interface 260, I/Ocontroller 270, and I/O peripherals 280.

Main memory 220 encompasses all volatile or non-volatile storage media,such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), or flashmemory. Main memory 220 includes storage locations that are addressableby the processing unit(s) 210 for storing computer program code and datastructures for dynamic retrieval of installation packages wheninstalling software. Such computer program code and data structures alsomay be stored in non-volatile storage 230. Non-volatile storage 230includes all non-volatile storage media, such as any type of diskincluding floppy disks, optical disks such as CDs, DVDs and BDs (Blu-rayDisks), and magnetic-optical disks, magnetic or optical cards, or anytype of media, and may be loaded onto the main memory 220. Those skilledin the art will immediately recognize that the term “computer-readablestorage medium” or “machine readable storage medium” includes any typeof volatile or non-volatile storage device that is accessible by aprocessor (including main memory 220 and non-volatile storage 230).

Processing unit(s) 210 is coupled to main memory 220 and non-volatilestorage 230 through bus 240. Processing unit(s) 210 includes processingelements and/or logic circuitry configured to execute the computerprogram code and manipulate the data structures. It will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that other processing and memory means,including various computer readable storage media, may be used forstoring and executing computer program code pertaining to dynamicretrieval of installation packages when installing software.

Processing unit(s) 210 can retrieve instructions from main memory 220and non-volatile storage 230 via bus 240 and execute the instructions toperform operations described below. Bus 240 is coupled to I/O controller250. I/O controller 250 is also coupled to network interface 260.Network interface 260 can connect to a network to download software froma repository existing on the network, to receive information aboutdynamically changing parameters for repositories existing on thenetwork, and to receive broadcast information from broadcast servers onthe network regarding software which can be downloaded over the network.

Bus 240 is further coupled to I/O controller(s) 270. I/O controller(s)270 are coupled to I/O peripherals 280, which may be mice, keyboards,modems, disk drives, printers and other devices which are well known inthe art. I/O peripherals 280 can further include an optical drive whichcontains the optical disk with the software to be installed on computersystem 200.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary main memory 220 of FIG. 2 in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3,memory 310 contains operating system 320, installer distributiondocument 360, and priority criteria 370. Within operating system 320,there is package selector 330, repository identifier 340, and packageobtainer 350. In other embodiments, the software components 330, 340,and 350 can be separate from and not part of an operating system.Although memory 310 has been shown as a single memory, this is just oneillustrative embodiment. In alternate embodiments, memory 310 can besplit into more than one memory.

In one embodiment, software to be installed may be made up of one ormore installation packages. As used herein, the term “software” can beused in the singular or plural form. In one embodiment, the installationpackages can contain the software to be installed on a system. In oneembodiment, files can contain the software and these files may becompressed in the installation packages. In one embodiment, theinstallation packages can contain metainfo. In this embodiment, themetainfo can track the software to be installed and may also track thesoftware that has already been installed. In one embodiment, eachinstallation package may contain package information, which can describethe contents of the installation package. In one embodiment, thecontents of the installation package can contain a payload, which can bethe compressed representation of all software files to be installed. Inone embodiment, the software can be an operating system. Packageselector 330 can determine a specific installation package to install onthe computing system. In one embodiment, package selector 330 candetermine the installation package based on an installer distributiondocument for the software. The installer distribution document caninclude an identifier for each of the installation packages required forthe software to be installed and can include a location from which todetermine whether an updated version of the installation packages exist.In one embodiment, the installer distribution document can be installerdistribution document 360. In an alternate embodiment, package selector330 can obtain the installer distribution document from operating system320. In yet another alternate embodiment, package selector 330 canobtain the installer distribution document from an installation mediaaccessible to the computing system. In yet another alternate embodiment,package selector 330 can obtain the installer distribution document fromanother computing system over a network. In yet another alternateembodiment, package selector 330 can obtain information about theinstallation package from a broadcast server and may not access aninstaller distribution document.

In one embodiment, package selector 330 may determine whether an updatedversion of the installer distribution document exists and update theversion of the installer distribution document prior to selecting aspecific installation package to install. In an alternate embodiment,package selector 330 may determine whether an updated version of thespecific installation package is available. If package selector 330determines a newer version of the specific installation package isavailable, package selector 330 may update the version of the specificinstallation package to be obtained. Once the package selector 330 hasdetermined a specific installation package to be obtained, packageselector 330 may send a notification to repository identifier 340.

Repository identifier 340 can identify a repository from which to obtaina specific installation package. In one embodiment, multiplerepositories exist which are accessible to repository identifier 340. Inone embodiment, these repositories can include a local disk, an opticaldrive, optical drives or disks located on one or more computersaccessible over a network, and remote servers. In one embodiment,repository identifier 340 can identify a repository from which to obtaina specific installation package based on priority criteria 370. In oneembodiment, priority criteria 370 are used by repository identifier 340to determine the fastest repository from which to obtain the specificpackage.

In one embodiment, priority criteria 370 can be pre-defined and can listan order in which to access the repositories. In this embodiment, forexample, priority criteria 370 may cause repository identifier 340 toaccess the local hard drive first, the local optical disk second, acomputer accessible over local area network third, and a remote serverlast. In alternate embodiments, priority criteria 370 may includealternate pre-defined orders for accessing of repositories. In anotheralternate embodiment, priority criteria 370 can be dynamic and may bebased on dynamically changing parameters. In one embodiment, thedynamically changing parameters may include network throughput, thespeed of a device such as an optical drive or disk, and the speed of aserver. In one embodiment, repository identifier 340 can receiveinformation regarding the dynamically changing parameters prior toidentifying a repository. In one embodiment, the information regardingthe dynamically changing parameters is stored in priority criteria 370.

In one embodiment, prior to identifying a repository, repositoryidentifier 340 may determine whether an updated version of the specificinstallation package is available. If repository identifier 340determines a newer version of the specific installation package isavailable, repository identifier 340 may update the version of thespecific installation. Repository identifier 340 may then identify arepository from which to obtain the updated version of the specificinstallation package based on priority criteria 370. Repositoryidentifier 340 may then send a completion notice to package obtainer 350that the specific installation package can be obtained from theidentified repository.

Upon receiving a completion notice from repository identifier 340,package obtainer 350 can obtain the specific installation package fromthe identified repository. In an alternate embodiment, no completionnotice is sent from repository identifier 340. In this embodiment,package obtainer 350 can obtain the specific installation package fromthe identified repository without waiting for the completion notice. Incertain embodiments, package obtainer 350 can be optional if thepriority software is already installed on the system and does not needto be updated or overwritten.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary installer distribution document 400 inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Installerdistribution document 400 may be obtained from a local disk, an opticaldrive, from another system over a network, or from a remote server.

Referring to FIG. 4, installer distribution document 400 can contain apackage identifier 410 for each of the installation packages requiredfor software to be installed on the system. Each package identifier 410can contain a corresponding package version 420 and a correspondingpackage address 430. Package version 420 can correspond to which versionof the package should be obtained from the repository. In oneembodiment, package version 420 may be updated for a package when thesystem checks whether a newer version of the package exists. In oneembodiment, package address 430 can specify the location to check inorder to determine whether an updated version of the package exists. Inone embodiment, package address 430 can specify the location to check inorder to determine whether an updated installer distribution document400 exists. In one embodiment, package address 430 can be a hard codeduniform resource locator (URL). In an alternate embodiment, packageaddress 430 can be a generic URL for a server. For example, in oneembodiment, installer distribution document 400 can require aninstallation package “m2il” (412) to be installed. The version for m2il(412) to be installed is version 5.0 (422). The server at packageaddress “http://m2il.server2.com” (432) can be used to determine ifthere is a later version of the package than version 5.0.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary priority criteria 500 in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, priority criteria 500 can contain a list ofrepositories 510 accessible to the system. Each repository 510 cancontain a corresponding data rate 520. For example, wide area network512 contains a data rate of 1 gigabit/second. In one embodiment, basedon priority criteria 500, a system can determine which repository 510has the best data rate 520 and therefore, which repository 510 thesystem should use to obtain a specific installation package. In oneembodiment, the repositories listed in priority criteria 500 can sendupdated information regarding their corresponding data rates to thesystem. This updated information can be stored in priority criteria 500.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of dynamic retrieval ofinstallation packages when installing software in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, dynamicretrieval of installation packages method 600 is performed by packageselector 330, repository identifier 340, and package obtainer 350.

Referring to FIG. 6, method 600 starts at block 610. At block 610, theprocess determines a package to be installed. In one embodiment,software to be installed may be made up of one or more packages. In oneembodiment, files can contain the software and these files may becompressed in the packages. In one embodiment, the packages can containmetainfo. In this embodiment, the metainfo can track the software to beinstalled and may also track the software that has already beeninstalled. In one embodiment, each package may contain packageinformation, which can describe the contents of the package. In oneembodiment, the contents of the package can contain a payload, which canbe the compressed representation of all software files to be installed.In one embodiment, the software can be an operating system. In oneembodiment, block 610 can determine the package based on an installerdistribution document for the software. The installer distributiondocument can include an identifier for each of the installation packagesrequired for the software to be installed and a location to check inorder to determine whether an updated version of the installationpackages exist. In one embodiment, the installer distribution documentcan be located in a memory of the computer system on which the softwareis to be installed. In an alternate embodiment, the installerdistribution document can be located in the operating system of thecomputer system. In yet another alternate embodiment the installerdistribution document can be obtained from an installation media. In yetanother alternate embodiment, the installer distribution document can beobtained from another system over a network. In yet another alternateembodiment, block 610 can determine the package based on informationreceived from a broadcast server regarding the availability of thepackage, and may not access an installer distribution document.

In one embodiment, block 610 may determine whether an updated version ofthe installer distribution document exists and update the version of theinstaller distribution document prior to selecting a specificinstallation package to install. In an alternate embodiment, block 610may determine whether an updated version of the specific installationpackage is available based on the information in the installerdistribution document. If a newer version of the specific installationpackage is available, the version of the specific installation packageto be obtained may be updated. The process then proceeds to block 620.

At block 620, a repository is identified from which to obtain thespecific installation package. In one embodiment, the identification canbe made based on priority criteria. In one embodiment, multiplerepositories exist from which the package can be obtained. In certainembodiments, these repositories can include a local disk, an opticaldrive, optical drives or disks located on one or more computersaccessible over a network (LAN, WAN, Internet, etc.), or a remoteserver.

In one embodiment, the priority criteria can be pre-defined and can listan order in which to access the multiple repositories. In thisembodiment, for example, the priority criteria may identify the localhard drive first, the local optical disk second, a computer accessibleover local area network third, and a remote server last. In alternateembodiments, the priority criteria may include alternate pre-definedorders for accessing of repositories. In yet another alternateembodiment, the priority criteria can be dynamic and may be based ondynamically changing parameters. In one embodiment, the dynamicallychanging parameters may include data rates for each of the multiplerepositories (e.g., network throughput, the speed of a device such as anoptical drive or disk, and the speed of a server). In one embodiment,information regarding the dynamically changing parameters may bereceived from the available repositories prior to identifying arepository. In one embodiment, the repository with the highest data rate(fastest) is identified as the repository from which to obtain thepackage from.

In one embodiment, prior to identifying a repository, block 620 maydetermine whether an updated version of the specific installationpackage is available. If an updated version of the specific installationpackage is available, the version of the specific installation packagemay be updated. Block 620 may then identify a repository from which toobtain the updated version of the specific installation package based onthe priority criteria. The process then proceeds to block 630.

At block 630, the specific installation package is obtained from theidentified repository. In one embodiment, if the identified repositoryis accessible over a network, the installation package can be obtainedby downloading the package over the network. In one embodiment, if thereis a problem with the identified repository and the package cannot beobtained from the identified repository (e.g., bad disk in opticaldrive, network is unavailable, hard drive fails, etc.), the process canreturn to block 620 to determine an alternate repository from which toobtain the package. In certain embodiments, once a repository isidentified for a package, the identified repository can be used forobtaining all the packages corresponding to the software to be installedon the system (as may be listed in the installation distributiondocument) and available from the identified repository, unless a problemarises with respect to the identified repository.

In certain embodiments, blocks 620 and 630 are optional and are notperformed if the appropriate version of the identified package isinstalled on the system and does not need to be updated or overwritten.In certain embodiments, if blocks 620 and 630 are omitted, the processends from block 610.

Method 600 illustrates one implementation of dynamic retrieval ofinstallation packages when installing software. In alternateembodiments, the order in which the blocks of method 600 are performedcan be modified without departing from the scope of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of dynamic retrieval ofinstallation packages when installing software in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, dynamicretrieval of installation packages method 700 is performed by packageselector 330, repository identifier 340, and package obtainer 350.

Referring to FIG. 7, block 710 receives information for dynamicallychanging parameters. In one embodiment, the dynamically changingparameters may include data rates (e.g., network throughput, the speedof a device such as an optical drive or disk, and the speed of a server)for multiple repositories available to a computer system. In oneembodiment, the multiple repositories may include a local disk, anoptical drive, and optical drives or disks located on one or morecomputers accessible over a network (LAN, WAN, Internet, etc.), or aremote server. The process then proceeds to block 720.

At block 720, the process updates priority criteria for the repositoriesbased on the information received. In one embodiment, the prioritycriteria can be determined based on the data rates for the repositoriesreceived. In one embodiment, the repository with the highest data ratecan be the repository with the highest priority. In one embodiment, thedata rates for the repositories can be used to determine the fastestrepository from which to obtain data. The process proceeds to block 730.

At block 730, a repository is identified from which to obtain an updatedportion of data based on the updated priority criteria. In oneembodiment, the repository with the fastest data rate can be therepository with the highest priority, and therefore can be identified asthe repository from which to obtain the package from. The process thenproceeds to block 740.

At block 740, the portion of data is obtained from the identifiedrepository. In one embodiment, if the identified repository isaccessible over a network, the installation package can be obtained bydownloading the package over the network. In one embodiment, if there isa problem with the identified repository and the portion of data cannotbe obtained from the identified repository (e.g., bad disk in opticaldrive, network is unavailable, hard drive fails, etc.), the process canreturn to block 730 to determine an alternate repository from which toobtain the portion of data. In certain embodiments, once a repository isidentified for a portion of data, the identified repository can be usedfor obtaining all data available from the identified repository for thesystem unless a problem arises with respect to the identifiedrepository.

In certain embodiments, blocks 730 and 740 are optional and are notperformed if the portion of data is located on the system and does notneed to be updated or overwritten. In certain embodiments, if blocks 730and 740 are omitted, the process ends from block 720.

Method 700 illustrates one implementation of dynamic retrieval ofinstallation packages when installing software. In alternateembodiments, the order in which the blocks of method 700 are performedcan be modified without departing from the scope of the invention.

The methods as described herein are not described with reference to anyparticular programming language. It will be appreciated that a varietyof programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of thepresent invention as described herein. Furthermore, it is common in theart to speak of software, in one form or another (e.g., program,procedure, process, application, module, logic, etc.), as taking anaction or causing a result. Such expressions are merely a shorthand wayof saying that execution of the software by a computer causes theprocessor of the computer to perform an action or produce a result. Itwill be further appreciated that more or fewer processes may beincorporated into the methods 600 and 700 in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7respectively without departing from the scope of the invention and thatno particular order is implied by the arrangement of blocks shown anddescribed herein.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will beapparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding theabove description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

1. A machine-implemented method for installing software, the methodcomprising: determining, by a data processing system, a specificinstallation package to be installed, the software having one or moreinstallation packages to be installed; automatically identifying arepository from a plurality of repositories from which to obtain thespecific installation package, wherein the identification is based onpriority criteria, and wherein the priority criteria is based ondynamically changing parameters; and obtaining the specific installationpackage from the identified repository, wherein the dynamically changingparameters include data rates for the plurality of repositories.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, through a network,information about the data rates for the plurality of repositoriesincludes one or more of a network throughput, a speed of a device, and aspeed of a server.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:responsive to an unsuccessful obtaining of the specific installationpackage, identifying an alternate repository from which to obtain thespecific installation package.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of repositories comprises at least two of a local disk, anoptical drive, a disk or drive available through a local area network(LAN), and a remote server.
 5. (canceled)
 6. The method of claim 1,further comprising: dynamically determining whether an updated versionof the specific installation package exists.
 7. A method for obtainingdata, the method comprising: for each portion of data to be obtained,automatically identifying, by a data processing system, a repositoryfrom a plurality of repositories from which to obtain the portion ofdata, wherein the identification is based on priority criteria, whereinthe priority criteria is based on a pre-defined order in which to accessthe plurality of repositories; and obtaining the portion of data fromthe identified repository.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:dynamically determining whether an updated version of the portion ofdata exists.
 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: responsive toan unsuccessful obtaining of the portion of data, identifying analternate repository from which to obtain the portion of data.
 10. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the plurality of repositories comprises atleast two of a local disk, an optical drive, a disk or drive availablethrough a local area network (LAN), and a remote server.
 11. The methodof claim 7, wherein the pre-defined order in which to access theplurality of repositories causes a repository identifier to access alocal hard drive first, a local optical disk second, a computeraccessible over a local area network third, and a remote server fourth.12. A computer-readable storage medium comprising executableinstructions to cause a processing system to perform operations, theinstructions comprising: determining, by a data processing system, aspecific installation package to be installed, the software having oneor more installation packages to be installed; automatically identifyinga repository from a plurality of repositories from which to obtain thespecific installation package, wherein the identification is based onpriority criteria, and wherein the priority criteria is based ondynamically changing parameters; and obtaining the specific installationpackage from the identified repository, wherein the dynamically changingparameters include data rates for the plurality of repositories.
 13. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructionsfurther comprise: receiving, through a network, information about thedata rates for the plurality of repositories includes one or more of anetwork throughput, a speed of a device, and a speed of a server. 14.The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein theinstructions further comprise: responsive to an unsuccessful obtainingof the specific installation package, identifying an alternaterepository from which to obtain the specific installation package. 15.The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the pluralityof repositories comprises at least two of local disk, an optical drive,a disk or drive available through a local area network (LAN), and aremote server.
 16. (canceled)
 17. The computer-readable storage mediumof claim 12, wherein the instructions further comprise: dynamicallydetermining whether an updated version of the specific installationpackage exists.
 18. A computer-readable storage medium comprisingexecutable instructions to cause a processing system to performoperations, the instructions comprising: for each portion of data to beobtained, automatically identifying, by a data processing system, arepository from a plurality of repositories from which to obtain theportion of data, wherein the identification is based on prioritycriteria, wherein the priority criteria is based on a pre-defined orderin which to access the plurality of repositories; and obtaining theportion of data from the identified repository.
 19. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructionsfurther comprise: dynamically determining whether an updated version ofthe portion of data exists.
 20. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise: responsive to anunsuccessful obtaining of the portion of data, identifying an alternaterepository from which to obtain the portion of data.
 21. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality ofrepositories comprises at least two of local disk, an optical drive, adisk or drive available through a local area network (LAN), and a remoteserver.
 22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, whereinthe pre-defined order in which to access the plurality of repositoriescauses a repository identifier to access a local hard drive first, alocal optical disk second, a computer accessible over a local areanetwork third, and a remote server fourth.
 23. (canceled)
 24. Anapparatus comprising: means for determining, by a data processingsystem, a specific installation package to be installed, the softwarehaving one or more installation packages to be installed; means forautomatically identifying a repository from a plurality of repositoriesfrom which to obtain the specific installation package, wherein theidentification is based on priority criteria, and wherein the prioritycriteria is based on dynamically changing parameters; and means forobtaining the specific installation package from the identifiedrepository, wherein the dynamically changing parameters include datarates for the plurality of repositories.
 25. An apparatus comprising:for each portion of data to be obtained, means for automaticallyidentifying, by a data processing system, a repository from a pluralityof repositories from which to obtain the portion of data, wherein theidentification is based on priority criteria, wherein the prioritycriteria is based on a pre-defined order in which to access theplurality of repositories; and means for obtaining the portion of datafrom the identified repository.
 26. A computer system comprising: amemory; and a processor configurable by instructions stored in thememory to: determine, by a data processing system, a specificinstallation package to be installed, the software having one or moreinstallation packages to be installed; automatically identify arepository from a plurality of repositories from which to obtain thespecific installation package, wherein the identification is based onpriority criteria, and wherein the priority criteria is based ondynamically changing parameters; and obtain the specific installationpackage from the identified repository, wherein the dynamically changingparameters include data rates for the plurality of repositories.
 27. Acomputer system comprising: a memory; and a processor configurable byinstructions stored in the memory to: for each portion of data to beobtained, automatically identify, by a data processing system, arepository from a plurality of repositories from which to obtain theportion of data, wherein the identification is based on prioritycriteria, wherein the priority criteria is based on a pre-defined orderin which to access the plurality of repositories; and obtain the portionof data from the identified repository.